A Familiar Name, Becoming a Very Different Car
When Hondadropped the Insight in 2022, it didn’t come as a surprise. The Civic Hybrid was already lined up to take over, and having two compact hybrid sedans in the same showroom never made much sense. The Insight faded out, the Civic Hybrid stepped in, and that seemed to be the end of it.
What’s unexpected is how quickly Honda is bringing the Insight name back, and how different the new model will be. Reports from Japan say the Insight will return this year, not as a sedan or a hybrid – it will be a fully electric coupe-crossover. It looks like Honda is using a familiar badge to help push its EV lineup forward, even if that means longtime fans might not be thrilled with the direction.
Honda
What Is Known So Far
Details come from Creative Trend, a Japanese source with a track record of dealer-level information. The report says the new Insight will be based on the Honda e:NS2, an electric coupe-crossover that launched in China through Dongfeng Honda. That model will be brought to Japan and sold as the Insight.
Size-wise, the new Insight is going to be quite larger than the compact sedan that used to wear the badge. The numbers put it at about 188.6 inches long, 72.4 inches wide, and 61.8 inches tall. For comparison, a U.S. Honda CR-V is 184.8 inches long, 73.5 inches wide, and 66.2 inches tall. So the Insight is longer than a CR-V, almost as wide, and sits much lower.
Pricing in Japan is expected to land between 5.5 and 6.0 million yen, or about $36,000 to $40,000. With local EV incentives, the real-world price could drop to around 4.0 million yen, or $27,000. That puts the Insight right in the mix with models like the Toyota bZ4X, Nissan Ariya, and Tesla Model Y.
Honda
A Pattern We’ve Seen Before
We’ve seen this playbook before. Mitsubishidid something similar with the Eclipse Cross, turning a coupe name into a crossover and getting mixed violent feedback. Honda seems ready to take the same gamble, hoping the Insight name still has enough pull to make the switch easier.
As for timing, advance orders in Japan are expected to open in mid-March, with a full reveal and sales launch by mid-April. Early production numbers will be limited, which suggests Honda is feeling out the market for now.
There’s not much reason to expect this new Insight to show up in the U.S. Its Chinese roots, Japan-focused rollout, and pricing make it a tough fit for American buyers and regulations. For now, the Insight’s comeback looks like a regional move, trading the old formula for something that fits today’s market.
Honda
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